The family of a South Side mother killed in a June shooting is pleading for justice and assistance with raising the eight kids that her death left behind.
Fredrica Coleman, 36, was gunned down outside her Englewood home at 65th and South Marshfield Ave. on Father’s Day.
Her cousin Rufus Carter says she was coming home from the grocery store when a stray bullet hit her in the head.
“They heard 11-to-16 shots go off and she was hit,” said Carter. “Those kids are traumatized. The last thing they saw was their mom being rushed off on a gurney.”
Some witnesses reported seeing two cars of people waving guns outside their windows, but detectives with the Chicago Police Department have only released details about a white Malibu and black Impala that were seen speeding away from the area after the shooting.
It remains unclear if they were directly involved.
Carter says Coleman was another innocent victim of gun violence in Chicago.
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“You tore a whole family apart and you’re going on about your day and you took a mom away from her eight kids,” said Carter.
Carter says Coleman’s sister is now left to take care of 12 children in the wake of the shooting. The family has since started a GoFundMe campaign for support.
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“She’s going to need some support with counseling [and] housing because now her house…there’s 12 people in her house,” said Carter.
Coleman’s sister is planning to purchase a bigger home to house all 12 kids. According to Carter, she also stated that she wanted to raise the kids in a “safer environment.”
“She’s doing the best she can for those babies. They’re asking for their mom,” said Carter. “The little ones don’t really understand what’s going on but they know their mom isn’t coming back.”
